Masa con Papas: Proxy's Memory

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[image description: Styx in the body of Charon grabbing the borders of a comic panel and crumpling it in on itself. On the otherside of there's a artificial fiend, back pressed to the wall as it bends and cracks.]

As you prepped to bust through, the rattling of stairs and caged metal floors caused you and Hickory to practically freeze up instantly. 

You slowly walked up to the door and placed your ear against it quietly.

You heard hard breathing, something between a sickly giggle and anticipatory anxiety.

Your body freezes. 

Hickory: What's wrong? 

Styx: Other side. 

Hickory: What?

You gave the bird a wordless gesture, a returned stretch of the neck toward the door. 

Hickory: Plan? 

You held up one finger in response, on your mark. 

If it knew you where there, all you could do is check its intimidation tactics. 

Styx: I can see you. 

The breathing became a strained effort to try to stay quiet. 

Styx: You're scared. Interesting. Were you there the day that tower fell? 

???: You're not actually him, are you? 

Styx: I'm something made much worse with time. Do you have business with me?

???: The vessel, hand it over. 

Styx: You can come get it anytime you'd like, but I'm not giving it up so easy. You're not one of the originals I don't think, a new flavor of delusion-

???: You're dangerously close to the door-

Styx: I'm still talking, pipe down-

???: Think you're hot shit? 

A hard, loud slam on the door.

Styx: Hottest under the killing moon. You? 

Another thud. 

Styx: Nothing to say for yourself? Interesting. 

You place your plan flat on the door, with a sleight of hand the entire frame thickens like a concrete pillar. 

Another attempted strike, this time with less of a impact. 

Styx: Feel that?

???: What'd you do?

Another blow with a pathetic noise.

Styx: Made the gap between us a little more apparent. You like it? Where's your friend right now? Maybe the two of you could break through if you tried hard enough.

???:  What did you do just now?

Styx: Mm, tell me what you see on your end. 

???: Where did the exit go?! 

Styx: Trapped, are we? 

You can't help but make a sadistic little grin. 

Hickory visibly shuddered.

Styx: Right now you're trapped in my domain, and it's a very volatile one. 

???: Did you move us or-

Styx: I've simply made the nature of your reality clear for you to see. A peon with no future, trapped by the boundaries of a narrative you have no control over. 

???: I don't understand-

Styx: Your existence is meaningless in the grander scope, you breath for the purpose of being a setpiece for someone more ambitious than yourself. 

???: You're a fucking coward! Open this door!

Styx: All that time kissing up, throwing away your individuality for a imitation body... you can't even reach me. 

???: You ever stop talking?!

Styx: Never. You want out? Play ball. 

???:... What do you want from me? 

Styx: You're going to get rid of that disgusting bastardization of my kind, go home, and never go near the house of any living saint or prophet again. 

???: Bastardization? 

Styx: That vessel of yours, I don't want to see that face on you ever again-

???: You realize how much you're asking for?

Styx: Well that depends on your rank, no? I'm sure if you've gotten as far as to have your flesh upgraded that you've the status to return to factory settings-

???: There's nothing to return to! 

Styx: Oh? 

???: The old body gets torched in the ritual! There's nothing left! You are killing me!

Styx: I can give you a little flexibility on a deadline, perhaps work our a bargain-

???: You really are the devil, yeah? 

Styx: Not in the way you think, easy misconception. 

???: What kind of bargain would that even require-

Styx: Give it to me, I'll make much better use of it than you ever could. 

???: You're a degenerate.

Styx: On the side sometimes-

???: A pervert mutt with radiation poisoning. 

Styx: I-

???: Just kill me you freak, make it quick-

Your hands dig into the wall and shake the room with full force, a scream coming from the other side. 

Styx: Sounds like you saw something you didn't like. 

???: You really aren't him... the Boy Ferryman.

Styx: Like I said, I'm so much worse.

???: ...Why do you want our Husk so bad? She'd already been taken away before- I can't come home without her! They'll take my rank, all my time and effort and-

Styx: Because she never belonged to you in the first place... I get the sense you folk have done harm to more fiend since last time we've met. Who's in charge these days? 

???: Why does it matter? 

Styx: Because I'm going to kill your church, your god, and everything you hold dear. 

???: I refuse to speak-

You shook it even harder, starting to crumple the wall inward like a soda can.

Styx: I want to know everything, and one way or another I'm going to find out. 

???: Just pull the trigger then cause I-

Styx: If I can't get it out of you alive, I'll be more than able to pry that info from your corpse. I'm simply offering you a kinder out. 

???: You're bluffing, if you could do that you would've done it!

Styx: Not all of us like growing a body count. 

???:..What do I have to do? 

Styx. I'm inviting you to the negotiation table, we'll figure out something there. So? Step into my office or be crushed by the frame of reality itself?

A long quiet, before you could hear the sound of a doorknob turning. 

Styx: Wise choice.